This question came to be through multiple conversations with racers both active and former who told me awesome stories that I wish I could have experienced first hand. From Garlits shaving his beard on the starting line, to Danny Sullivan spinning and winning at the Indy 500 there have been innumerable moments in racing history that will live on through stories and tales for generations. Not just the historic moments, but also the actual forms of racing that have not been around to watch for decades on end. For example, given the chance to hop in a time machine, I’d find myself at the biggest and fastest board track in the world to watch cars race around and oval that measures a mile + made completely of boards laid up on end, side by side, by the millions. It was insanely dangerous, fast, largely out of control, and relatively short lived. We think today’s racers are “crazy” but they look like Fred Rogers compared to the guys who competed on the board tracks of the country in the tees and 1920s before the whole enterprise was run out of business.
I realize that most of you probably don’t give a rat’s ass about board tracks so I’m interested to hear what event you’d like to find yourself at or what type of no defunct racing you’d like to observe. Maybe it is the salt flats with Arfons or Breedlove. Perhaps one of those afternoons in a farmer’s field with some guy named Bob Chandler horsing around by driving his truck over junked cars, or lastly maybe you want to be sitting there at Le Mans when the GT40s cross the finish 1-2-3 and essentially spit in Ferrari’s face. Tell us!
BangShift Question Of The Day: Given A Time Machine What Specific Race Or Type Of Racing Would You Go Back And Watch?
Back in the 80’s, there was a group of racers in the Northeast called the Wild Bunch. Best drag racing ever! Mountain motor pro stocks back then was also wild!
The Last Drag Race, December 1972, Lions Drag Strip. I was 1500+ miles away, and in the 7th grade. It might as well have been contested on the moon! I knew it was going on, but couldn’t even begin to get there!
How about some pictures for the 1967 winter nationals at Penwell,
Texas?
1967 Indy 500 when the STP Turbine car almost won except for a $6.00 thrust bearing failure 3 laps from the finish allowing A.J. Foyt to win for the third time…………. Or the 1971 APBA Unlimited Hydroplane Gold Cup race in Madison, IN where it was won by the U-6 Miss Madison, the boat owned by the residents of Madison, IN and all the Thunderboats were piston engined (Allison or Merlin WWII aircraft engines) and actually made the noise that earned them the name “Thunderboats”…………Or the 1985 Daytona 500. The last of the unrestricted races where Bill Elliott qualified for the Pole at over 205 MPH and lead 136 of the 200 laps to win!
Lions Dragstrip, in the mid 60s! Magical time, and legends being born! Speaking of legends, I met Larry Sutton, the starter from Lions, at the Nitro Nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last weekend!
East -v- West A/FX S/FX U/FX altered wheelbase doorcar event at Lions Drag Strip.
I’d go back to the mid ’60 to mid ’70’s to watch the golden age of drag racing and nascar.
Back in the 80s the group B rally cars. Metro 6R4 and the Ford RS 200
they were insane 500+ hp very short wheel base
look them up on you tube and have some fun!
Four horsepower chariot races. I bet they were even better than the movie.
60s-70s gassers and FXers
64 Funny Cars at OCIR with Larry Sutton on the starting line.
Can Am, big blocks growling around a road course!
I’m with Shawn. Can Am w/BBC . Alright I added the C .
Board Track (car or motorbcycle) and Group B.
I’m not standing on the track like those crazy Europeans though!
Late 60’s early 70’s Trans Am
The 1977 March Meet. Judy and I were there in our motor home. The racing was fantastic and the partying was exceptional. This was Chad’s first big meet away from Fremont.
Agree with John Troxel, The Last Drag Race @ Lions in ’72.
80’s IMSA GT racing. A bunch of drug dealers racing 935’s with unobtanium parts.
1966 Bakersfield March Meet (Smokers)–My late Mother was there, I heard about it my whole life ( 2 separate 64 car shows, Surfers win Sat.-comeback and beat Sun. winner). YEAH, THATS THE ONE
Hard to chose between the two but 1972 Lions the “Last Race” we raced all night and then took it to the street until the cops asked us to give it up and go home. So we went to Denny’s and bench raced until morning.
Irwindale in 1976 at the 64 Funny Car Meet and they fired all 64 up at the same time and the bleachers shook so bad I thought they were going to collapse. I took my soon to be wife there and she loved it. I knew then she was the one for me. 36 years later she still is.
I would love to see Pure Heaven and all the other big name AA Fuel Alterds square off at OCIR, back when Fuel Alterds had there own class and went through eliminations to crown the winner. Also the 1965 Can-Am series when Jim Hall and his Chaparrals were the cars to beat. Or maybe the 68 Trans-Am series when Mark Donohue won in the Sunoco Camaro. But then the 1971 Trans-Am series when Donohue & Penske won in their AMC Javelin would be great to see as well. AA/FA, Trans-Am, Can-Am those are my three wishes. I can’t decide on just one. I guess I like cars that handle well or don’t handle at all?
Any mid-60’s Fuel Altered meet! They were the ultimate realization of animal and cerebral, when the cars were jacked up in front, had cool names, colorful drivers, flew all over the place and still turned in times that had the dragsters gettin’ nervous. And I must also add any race with Jungle Pam!
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